400 MW Offshore wind farm

From the port to the construction site

The journey time to a wind farm situated 100 km away from the coast amounts to between 5 and 6 hours at a speed of 10 knots.

Next step ›

2. Sequence

Installing the foundation

A balancing act

Elevating platforms and ships grapple with components weighing up to 1000 metric tons at up to 10 m above the surface of the water.

Next step ›

Colossal giants

Various types of foundation may be used (including monopole and jacket foundation, gravity base foundation). These are anchored to the ground with steel piles (2 to 6 m in diameter and 30 to 50 m long).

Next step ›

3. Sequence

Erecting the wind turbine

Tower

The tower is erected as a single or two-part construction and is joined to the foundation structure by means of a steel flange.

Next step ›

Turbine

Weighing between 270 and 460 metric tons, the nacelle of the wind turbine is installed more than 100 m above the surface of the water. Combined with a 75 m rotor blade, at 162 metres, the turbine is almost twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

Next step ›

4. Sequence

Installing the inner-array cabling

Installing the cable system

Special ships lay the connecting cables between wind turbine and transformer substation precisely to the very last centimetre.
The cables are connected by divers or remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). They are buried up to 1 m under the ground.

Next Step ›

Offshore substation

The transformer substation is the heart of every wind farm. It brings all of the power generated throughout the farm together and ensures a reliable connection to the grid. It is also the central logistical element of service activities.

Next step ›

5. Sequence

The converter station

Inner-array cabling

The offshore substation is the heart of every wind farm. It brings all of the power generated throughout the farm together and ensures a reliable connection to the grid. It is also the central logistical element of service activities

Next step ›

HVDC Converter station

Two to three offshore wind farms are connected up to each converter station, which routes the bundled energy to the mainland in the form of direct current.

Next step ›

6. Sequence

Connection to land

Export cable

100 km to the grid connection is a very long way. Direct current technology is used to transfer energy from the offshore converter station to the onshore converter station in order to keep losses to a minimum.

Next step ›

Sustainable electricity

Harvesting energy where the wind blows steadily

Sustainability sells

The wind off the North Sea coast of Germany is the key to gaining independence from coal, gas and uranium. Its potential is both inexhaustible and constant. Combined with reliable, modern technology, offshore wind could become the mainstay of German energy production.

OW EVS can make a significant contribution toward achieving this with its offshore wind farm projects. Together with our partners from the offshore industry, we are making every effort to ensure the technically reliable, ecologically compatible and economically successful im-plementation of wind farm projects, such as the OWP Albatros, OWP West and Global Tech II offshore wind farms.